DHEA Medical Studies - Part II
DHEA and cancer Cancer is very much a disease of aging; it is no coincidence that cancer usually strikes when we are older. Some scientists now believe that a person's risk of cancer may be correlated with the level of DHEA or DHEA-S, which is the form of DHEA that is found in the bloodstream. An interesting study done by Dr. Daynes showed that when he implanted cancerous tumors into elderly mice with high DHEA, they were actually able to fend off the cancer. Other cancer studies have shown that women with breast cancer and ovarian cancer have extremely low levels of DHEA. Subsequent animal studies by Schwartz of breast-cancer prone mice showed that “the control animals where getting cancer left and right… while the DHEA animals had no tumors…Whenever DHEA has been tested in a model of carcinogensis and tumor induction, DHEA has preventative effects.” Dr Schwartz and his colleagues have documented DHEA's cancer fighting power in hundreds of other animal studies. Although DHEA is now beginning to be tested in human cancer, it is still to early to know whether the success achieved in animals will be realized in humans. In some animal studies DHEA has been reported to actually stimulate the growth of tumors, making its use in cancer uncertain at the moment. In analyzing the studies, DHEA appears to thwart off cancer in its earliest stages by inhibiting an enzyme called G6PDH. When aloud to increase uncontrolled, G6PDH stimulates another chemical NADPH, causing a chemical reaction that quite possibly converts dormant carcinogens into very active ones. In other words, DHEA may protect us from developing cancer but may even be harmful once it has already begun to develop. Other studies have explored the role of DHEA in preventing urinary, colon and lung cancer. DHEA and Cardiovascular Disease Another typical age related disease is arteriosclerosis, a condition in which the arteries' inner walls are lined with “plaque,” and/or fat; thus blocking the flow of blood and posing a high risk of coronary heart disease. One study that extended nearly 20 years found that the DHEA-S levels were far lower in men who died of coronary heart disease than in healthier men. Numerous studies that examined this relationship of DHEA and heart disease, found that men with LOW serum levels of DHEA are as much as 1.6 times more likely to develop coronary artery disease than men with normal DHEA levels. In a relatively small study published in the England Journal of Medicine, it was found that men whose DHEA levels were 140 mcg or higher were less than half as likely to die of heart disease – even when allowing for smoking and high cholesterol. Other studies found evidence that DHEA is a part of both HDL and LDL cholesterol and at youthful concentrations DHEA helps to reduce the degree of oxidation that occurs within cholesterol. The elderly, whose circulating levels of DHEA are diminished, have no such defense and suffer increased cholesterol oxidation – one of the primary suspects in the development of heart disease.
Insulin is created in the pancreas and is essential for regulating the body's metabolism of sugars and starches. Insulin breaks down so it can be utilized by the body. The inability to produce enough insulin can lead to Diabetes In 1995 at a meeting entitled DHEA AND AGING in Washington DC, John Nestler in his talk hypothesized that the age-related drop in DHEA and DHEA-S, may be due in part to the normal age-related rise in circulating insulin levels. Thus increasing insulin, may indeed be one of the main reasons that DHEA declines with age, and an inverse relationship may indeed be possible; as DHEA levels are enhanced then insulin may drop. There is fairly strong evidence that DHEA plays a protective role against diabetes; which is a primary risk factor for heart disease. As far back as 1983, Dr. Les Coleman of the Jackson Laborities in Maine, tested DHEA on mice that were specifically bred to develop diabetes. Despite a strong genetic disposition to develop both diabetes and obesity, these mice remained free of diabetes and maintained there normal weight. This and other experiments like it tell us that DHEA could be a potent tool in the prevention of Diabetes. From Mice to Men Although over 150 human DHEA studies have been conducted, and over a 1,000 have been conducted with animals; it is still to soon to be sure about the results. Although most of the results have shown amazing promise; the vast majority of the studies have been done on rats that have only a very small amount of circulating DHEA-S in their bloodstream. Therefore the results may not correlate well with humans. Preliminary analysis with human studies shows a lot of the results may hold, but it is to soon to tell for sure. DHEA research is presently where Estrogen research was 15 years ago, and therefore a lot of people may not wish to supplement with DHEA at this time; but then again if the research holds true, a lot of people may not want to wait another 15 years for all the facts to come in.
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